PRIME MINISTER

European Constitution (Referendum)

Nigel Evans: To ask the Prime Minister how many written representations he has received (a) in favour and (b) against a referendum on the European Constitution.

Tony Blair: Since the beginning of the year, I have received over 1,000 letters about the subject of a referendum on the European Constitution.
	Given the volume of correspondence I receive, over one million letters and cards in the last year covering a broad spectrum of issues, my office records letters by subject rather than by the view expressed. My office works hard to ensure that all the letters receive appropriate responses.

Iraq

Lembit �pik: To ask the Prime Minister what assessment he has made of changes in the level of risk of a terrorist attack in the UK since the initiation of military action in Iraq in March; and if he will make a statement.

Tony Blair: The worldwide threat from terrorism remains real and serious, as we have all seen demonstrated by the recent attacks in Turkey. The relevant agencies are at a state of heightened readiness as they have been for some time.
	The assessment of the level of threat to the UK is under constant review, and the Government takes the appropriate action.
	The assessment received before the Iraq conflict was that the greatest threat to Western interests came from al-Qaeda and associated groups. This assessment has not changed and the Government and related agencies continue to combat terrorist activities both here and abroad.

Iraq

Lembit �pik: To ask the Prime Minister whether a reduction in international terrorism was a stated aim of the military action in Iraq in March; and if he will make a statement.

Tony Blair: Our policy objectives for action in Iraq were set by my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary (Mr. Straw) in a written statement on 7 January 2003, Official Report, columns 46WS and set out in Iraq: Military Campaign Objectives on 20 March 2003. A copy is available in the Library of the House.

Iraq

Harry Cohen: To ask the Prime Minister whether President Bush discussed with him an intention to choose Iraq's leader; and if he will make a statement.

Tony Blair: I discussed with President Bush, as I regularly do, a wide range of Iraq-related issues, including the timetable leading to the formation of a Transitional Iraqi Government.

Iraq

Harry Cohen: To ask the Prime Minister what peace approaches made for the attention of the UK Government were deemed to be from the Iraqi regime of Saddam Hussein prior to the war; whether such an approach for the attention of the US Administration was made (a) before the war and (b) subsequently; and if he will make a statement.

Tony Blair: In the months before the conflict in Iraq, contact was made by various individuals claiming to be intermediaries for Saddam Hussein and senior members of the Iraqi regime. On each occasion our response was to underline the need for Iraq to comply fully and immediately with its obligations under the relevant United Nations Security Council Resolutions. Approaches made to the US are a matter for the US Administration.

Oil and Gas Industry

Richard Spring: To ask the Prime Minister if he will place in the Library the open letter from the Oil and Gas Industry Liaison Team of 22 October on the implications for the United Kingdom oil and gas industry of the Energy Chapter of the draft European Constitution.

Tony Blair: This is a matter for the Oil and Gas Industry Leadership Team.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Car Boot Sales

Colin Pickthall: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what plans he has to (a) bring car-boot sales under normal planning permission rules and (b) abolish the 14 day rule.

Keith Hill: Part 4 of the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 1995 (GPDO) grants a general planning permission for the temporary use of land for up to 28 days in any calendar year, subject to a number of restrictions and conditions, and car boot sales to not more than 14 days in totalin recognition that, in some locations, they may cause problems such as parking, litter and noise. The use of land for car boot sales for greater than 14 days would generally require an application for planning permission.
	In January 2002, a consultation paper was issued on whether any changes were desirable to the current temporary use provisions, which include activities such as clay pigeon shooting and motor-sports as well as car boot sales and farmers markets.
	The overwhelming consensus in response to the consultation paper was to retain the existing provisions.
	Therefore, in the light of responses received, we have no plans to change the temporary use planning provisions in respect of car boot sales or to abolish the 14 day rule as it pertains to them.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

City Academies

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on the funding for the proposed city academies announced recently.

David Miliband: The Secretary of State recently announced a new package of measures to raise standards of education in the five most challenging London boroughs, as part of the London Challenge initiative. These London boroughsHaringey, Islington, Hackney, Lambeth and Southwarkwill have at least 10 new schools, seven of which will be academies. These academies form part of the Government's overall strategy for the expansion of the Academies programme and the funding for them will be drawn from the Department's significant existing capital resources earmarked for the regeneration of the schools estate.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Dietary Supplements

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she will answer the letter from the hon. Member for Portsmouth, South of 9 September 2003 on the importation of dietary supplements.

Alun Michael: The letter referred to by the hon. Member was transferred to the Department of Health on 16 September 2003 as that Department has responsibility for dietary supplements. The hon. Member was advised of this transfer by letter on the same day.

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Sitting Hours (Refreshment Department)

Ben Chapman: To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission, what assessment he has made of the impact of the change in sitting hours on the Refreshment Department.

Archy Kirkwood: At its meeting on 12 May, the Commission considered a paper from the Board of Management on the principal impact of the revised sitting hours on staff and facilities. That paper reflected the early assessments made by the various Departments of the House. The Refreshment Department reported an increase in daytime trade, particularly in the cafeterias, but a significant loss of evening trade, particularly in the dining rooms. The Director of Catering Services continues to monitor service requirements in the light of changes in sitting patterns. The Board of Management will make a further report to the Commission in December.

TRANSPORT

Disabled Drivers

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to reform the system of blue parking badges available for drivers with disabilities; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: Following a comprehensive review of the Blue Badge Parking Scheme the Government have accepted a number of the recommendations made by our statutory advisers, the Disabled Persons' Transport Advisory Committee (DPTAC). These address many key issues of concern and are intended to make significant improvements to the Scheme. An announcement was made by David Jamieson on 18 December 2002 at which time a summary of the Government's responses to each of those recommendations was placed in the House Libraries.
	We are taking forward the majority of the recommendations through changes to primary and secondary legislation, research and in new guidance to local authorities on the Scheme. As we progress our work we will be consulting and involving major disability organisations, many of which act as umbrella organisations representing people with a range of disabilities.
	We are pursuing a suitable legislative slot for those changes requiring primary legislation. In the meantime we have begun work on those recommendations which require changes to secondary legislation and will also be embarking on a number of research projects over the next few months. The new guidance, which will cover all aspects of the Scheme will be issued when changes have been introduced.
	Timing for introduction of the changes will be subject to the outcome of the research, consultations and the Parliamentary process as appropriate. I am not able at this stage to give a firm timetable, but we are wholly committed to introducing the changes at the earliest possible opportunity.

Heathrow Airport

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to assess the effect on regional economies of a third runway at Heathrow Airport.

Tony McNulty: A third runway at Heathrow, in common with additional runways at other South East airports, would lead to more short-haul services including services from the UK regions to London. The benefits to regional passengers from providing more capacity at South East airports are described in Chapter 3 of The Future Development of Air Transport in the United Kingdom: South East.

Heavy Goods Vehicles

John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what (a) number and (b) percentage of (i) deaths and (ii) serious injuries from road accidents resulted from a crash involving a heavy goods vehicle in each year since 1997 (A) in total and (B) broken down by (1) daytime and (2) night-time periods.

David Jamieson: The following table shows the number and percentage of deaths and serious injuries from road accidents involving one or more HGV by daylight, darkness and total categories for each year since 1997.
	
		Casualties in road accidents involving HGVs
		
			  1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 
		
		
			 Daylight   
			 Deaths 408 401 458 387 401 365 
			 Percentage of all fatalities in daylight 19.6 20.1 22.9 19.6 20.2 18.4 
			 Serious injuries 2,204 2,026 2,114 2,092 1,979 1,819 
			 Percentage of all serious injuries in daylight 7.7 7.5 8.0 8.3 8.1 7.8 
			
			 Darkness   
			 Deaths 127 175 162 173 174 167 
			 Percentage of all fatalities in darkness 8.4 12.3 11.4 12.0 11.8 11.6 
			 Serious injuries 720 666 656 627 585 555 
			 Percentage of all serious injuries in darkness 5.0 4.9 5.2 4.9 4.6 4.4 
			
			 Total   
			 Deaths 535 576 620 560 575 532 
			 Percentage of all fatalities 14.9 16.8 18.1 16.4 16.7 15.5 
			 Serious injuries 2,924 2,692 2,771 2,719 2,564 2,374 
			 Percentage of all serious injuries 6.8 6.6 7.1 7.1 6.9 6.6 
		
	
	Darkness is half an hour after sunset to half an hour before sunrise. Daylight is all other times.

Heavy Goods Vehicles

John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the total vehicle kilometres of a heavy goods vehicle were for each year since 1997 (a) in total and (b) broken down by (i) daytime and (ii) night-time periods.

David Jamieson: Estimated total vehicle kilometres by HGVs in Great Britain for each year since 1997 are given in the following table. It is not possible to distinguish traffic in daylight hours and hours of darkness.
	
		Heavy goods vehicle traffic: 19972002 -- Billion vehicle kilometres
		
			  All goods vehicles(1) 
		
		
			 1997 26.8 
			 1998 27.9 
			 1999 28.1 
			 2000 28.2 
			 2001 28.0 
			 2002 28.3 
		
	
	(1) Goods vehicles over 3,500 kgs gross vehicle weight

Long Vehicles

John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what plans there are to make Regulation UN ECE 104 on conspicuity markings on long vehicles legally binding;
	(2)  when the UK became a signatory to the UN regulation ECE 104 on conspicuity markings on long vehicles; and what progress has been made on its implementation;
	(3)  what representations his Department has received from road safety organisations regarding Regulation UN ECE 104 on conspicuity markings on long vehicles.

David Jamieson: The UK became a signatory to UN ECE Regulation 104 on 15 January 1998. The regulation provides for the international approval of retro-reflective marking material for heavy or long vehicles. It also gives guidance on how the material might be shaped and mounted.
	The Government have no plans to make conspicuity markings based on this regulation legally binding. Within the EU we recently agreed to incorporate the regulation into the EU type approval system for the installation of lighting and light signalling devices, but only as an option. As EU approvals can still be issued to vehicles without these conspicuity markings it appears that there is no scope for national governments unilaterally to require them.
	The European Commission is investigating the costs and benefits of a mandatory requirement and may make proposals when its research is complete. The Department for Transport will await the results of the research before taking a view on whether any such proposal should be supported.
	The Department has recently received representation from one road safety organisation.

Road Safety

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proposals he has to amend the law as it applies to the use of (a) electric wheelchairs and (b) scooters on the public highway.

David Jamieson: We recognise that these vehicles provide invaluable independent mobility to many disabled and older people. However, we are aware of concerns about their use on the highway and we are conducting a comprehensive review beginning with a research study to establish basic facts about current usage and to canvass views of users and other key stakeholders. Subject to the outcome of this investigation we will be considering what changes may need to be made to current legislation governing the construction and use of these vehicles on the highway.

Road Safety

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many incidents involving (a) electric wheelchairs and (b) scooters were recorded in each of the last five years; and how many of them involved (i) fatality and (ii) serious injury.

David Jamieson: The information is not held centrally.

Shipping

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proportion of United Kingdom ships using the tonnage tax scheme fly the Red Ensign.

David Jamieson: 69 per cent. of the total ships under the tonnage tax scheme fly the Red Ensign.

Speed Cameras

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the contribution of speed cameras to reduction in road deaths; and if he will make a statement.

David Jamieson: On 11 February 2003 the Department published an independently produced evaluation report of the 2-year trial of the safety camera cost recovery system. This showed an average 35 per cent. reduction in those killed or seriously injured at camera sites, equating to around 280 people and a 4 per cent. reduction in those killed or seriously injured across the pilot areas, equating to around 530 people.

Speed Cameras

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many speed cameras were operational on 31 July.

David Jamieson: This information is not held centrally.

Speed Cameras

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will publish the accounts of the Safety Camera partnerships; and if he will make a statement.

David Jamieson: Local authorities, through which payments from netted off fine revenue from speed camera offences are made to Safety Camera Partnerships, are obliged to make their accounts available for public scrutiny each year.

SS Montgomery

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of whether there were nuclear weapons on board the SS Montgomery when it sank off Sheerness; and if he will make a statement.

David Jamieson: The cargo manifest does not include nuclear weapons.

SS Montgomery

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether fulminite of mercury was present in fuses on board the SS Montgomery; and if he will make a statement.

David Jamieson: The cargo manifest of the 'Richard Montgomery' does not specifically refer to fulminate of mercury, but does list other types of fuses. However, fulminate of mercury was in use at the time so may be contained in some of the detonators and fuses.

SS Montgomery

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether the ammunition on board the SS Montgomery is in a stable condition; and if he will make a statement.

David Jamieson: The wreck of the 'Richard Montgomery' is surveyed by diver and sonar survey on a regular basis and appears to be in a stable condition. The majority of the munitions are unfused. The munitions which are fused are considered by experts to be likely to be stable given the circumstances and duration of storage.

SS Montgomery

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what research he has commissioned on whether the detonation of ammunition at Shoeburyness will have a deleterious effect on the ammunition on board the SS Montgomery.

David Jamieson: No research has been commissioned into whether the detonation of ammunition at Shoeburyness Firing Range will have a deleterious effect on the ammunition onboard the 'Richard Montgomery'. However, the wreck of the 'Richard Montgomery' is surveyed by diver and sonar survey on a regular basis and in the 59 years since the sinking of the wreck, no incidents of any nature have been reported as a result of the activities at Shoeburyness.

CABINET OFFICE

Legislation

John Redwood: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many pages of (a) primary and (b) secondary legislation his Department put through Parliament in 200203.

Douglas Alexander: My Department did not sponsor any primary legislation during the 200203 session.
	In the case of secondary legislation my Department was responsible for the making of two General Statutory Instruments which would have been considered by the Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments. These instruments made a total of six pages.

DEFENCE

Parliamentary Questions

Alan Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for what reason the hon. Member for Swansea West received a reply on 20 November to his parliamentary question tabled on 11 September.

Geoff Hoon: The delay was caused by the need to consult other Government Departments.

Satellite Tracking Station

Michael Spicer: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he will announce his decision on whether the Satellite Tracking Station at Defford will remain a strategic asset.

Adam Ingram: We expect to notify QinetiQ, the Defford site operators, of our decision early in the Near Year.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

National Lottery

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much Lottery funding per capita has been awarded to organisations in Haltemprice and Howden in each of the past three years.

Estelle Morris: The total value of Lottery awards made per capita to the constituency of Haltemprice and Howden in the past three years has been:
	
		Per capita Lottery funding ()
		
			 Calendar year  
		
		
			 2000 4.08 
			 2001 2.70 
			 2002 4.78 
			 January 2003 to date 4.95 
		
	
	This is derived from the Department's Awards Database, which is based on information supplied by the distributing bodies.

Rugby

Nick Hawkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans she has to arrange celebrations for the victorious England Rugby World Cup team and squad.

Tessa Jowell: The Rugby Football Union (RFU) have always, quite rightly, been in the lead on the nature and the timing of the World Cup victory celebrations, and the RFU picked the date of Monday 8 December for the parade and receptions. Both the Government and the Royal Household have been happy to be guided by the RFU on these matters. The RFU did not want to pick a weekend date because the rugby players have professional obligations to play for their clubs.
	The RFU is also planning a series of celebratory occasions around the country, so that people can see the Webb Ellis Cup and meet members of the winning England team rather than the whole country having to come to London on December 8.

Rugby

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many rugby matches (a) the Secretary of State and (b) the Minister for Sport attended in an official capacity since their respective appointments.

Richard Caborn: My right hon Friend the Secretary of State has attended two matches: England v Wales at Twickenham in March 2002, and Australia v England in Sydney, November 2003. I have attended eight matches: Bradford v Wigan at Old Trafford in October 2001, Great Britain v Australia at Huddersfield in November 2001, Sheffield Eagles Tag Rugby Festival in Sheffield, December 2001, St. Helens v Wigan at Murrayfield, April 2002, New Zealand v Fiji in Manchester, August 2002, Australia v New Zealand and England v France in Sydney, November 2003 and Great Britain v Australia at Wigan, November 2003, along with a number of local rugby union matches involving Sheffield Club and Rotherham.

St. Giles Church, Imber

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans she has for St. Giles Church at Imber in Wiltshire.

Richard Caborn: It is expected that a meeting involving Ministers from my Department and the Ministry of Defence, as well as the Third Church Commissioner, will be held in the near future to discuss possible options for this redundant grade I listed church.

Television Licence

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much was paid in television licence fees by residents in East Sussex in the last year for which figures are available.

Estelle Morris: The information requested is not available, since TV Licensing, who administer the television licensing system for the BBC, do not maintain statistics of television licence sales and revenues by local authority area.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

European Constitution

William Cash: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if the Government will make it a red line issue to ensure that (a) qualified majority voting is not extended to the area of own resources under Article 53(4) of the Draft European Constitution, (b) the UK budget rebate is retained and (c) the Stability and Growth Pact in its application to the UK is repealed.

Denis MacShane: As the White Paper makes clear, the Government believes that unanimity must be retained for the system of own resources (Article 153), including the terms and conditions for the UK abatement. On economic governance, the Government will work to ensure outcomes that will bolster stability, promote flexibility and enhance the ability of European countries to raise productivity and employment levels.

European Constitution

William Cash: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if the Government will make it a red line issue to ensure that Protocol 17 concerning Article 141 of the EC Treaty is retained in the draft European Constitution.

Denis MacShane: The Government supports the retention of this Protocol. There has not been any suggestion that this Protocol should be deleted, and it is included, with the appropriate technical amendments, in the revised set of Protocols issued by the Secretariat of the Intergovernmental Conference (which can be found on page 157 of document CIG 50/03 ADD 1 of 25 November). This can be accessed in the IGC Documents section of the Italian Presidency website: www.ueitalia.2003.it.

Union Law

William Cash: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will place in the Library the opinion of the Head of the Council of Ministers Legal Service on the question of the formulation of Articles 110 concerning the primacy of Union Law (CIG 3703, p3).

Denis MacShane: There is no formal Council Legal Service Opinion on this subject. The Presidency proposal on this subject, found in CIG 52/03, proposes that the Intergovernmental Conference note that this Article reflects existing European Court of Justice case-law. We understand this is in line with the views of the Council Legal Service.
	Copies of document CIG 52/03 will be placed in the Library of the House.

HEALTH

Juvenile Self-Harm

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what steps his Department is taking to reduce instances of suicide and deliberate self-harm in young people; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what steps his Department is taking to raise public awareness of suicide and deliberate self-harm in young people;
	(3)  what guidance his Department issues to (a) parents, (b) young people and (c) organisations working with young people on (i) suicide and (ii) deliberate self-harm in young people.

Rosie Winterton: The National Suicide Prevention Strategy for England recognises that people who self-harm are at a greater risk of taking their own life; and sets out specific action to reduce the number of suicides in the year following deliberate self harm:
	guidance on the management of deliberate self-harm in accident and emergency departments is due for publication by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence in 2004;
	the establishment of a national collaborative for the monitoring of deliberate self-harm through which it will be possible to estimate the number of suicides in the year following deliberate self-harm;
	the National Institute for Mental Health in England (NIMHE) will support local services in establishing procedures and services for people presenting at accident and emergency departments with deliberate self-harm;
	a risk assessment-training package will be made available by NIMHE to frontline clinical staff, the prison service, primary care, substance misuse services and college counselling services. This package is currently being piloted.
	In addition, NIMHE published an audit toolkit in October 2003 to help services measure the extent to which they are addressing the recommendations outlined in the National Confidential Inquiry Report into suicide and homicide by people with a mental illnessSafer Services; two of which relate specifically to self-harm.
	NIMHE continues to raise awareness about mental health issues, including suicide and self-harm through its programme of work to implement the suicide prevention strategy. In addition, the mind out for mental health campaign which combats stigma and discrimination surrounding mental health specifically targets young people in the provision of accurate information on mental health issues. In February 2003 the campaign launched Read the Signseducating young people aged 1421 about the signs of mental health problems so that they are better informed and can look out for themselves and their friends. This campaign includes an interactive website which provides information on suicide and deliberate self-harm and signposts individuals to further information or support and advice.
	The Department and NIMHE also continue to work with and support other organisations to promote information and advice on the incidence of suicide and self-harm among young people.
	The suicide prevention strategy also specifically identified young men as being at particular risk of suicide. NIMHE is establishing a small number of sites in England which will develop a package of mental health promotion measures to successfully engage with young men. We hope to announce the location of the successful pilot sites early in the New Year. In addition, the Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) campaign and helpline continues to provide a safety net for young men by breaking down the barriers and reducing the stigma attached to depression and mental illness. CALM is currently operational in four areas: Manchester, Merseyside, Cumbria and Bedfordshire.

No Secrets Guidance

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans his Department has to review the implementation of the No Secrets guidance.

Stephen Ladyman: The Department of Health has no immediate plans to further review the implementation of No Secrets, which provided a framework for local agencies to use when developing their multi-agency codes of practice for preventing and tackling the abuse of vulnerable adults. These codes had to be in place by 31 October 2001.
	Last year, the Department of Health commissioned the Centre for Policy on Ageing to analyse these local codes of practice. In January 2003, the Department issued the main messages from the analysis titled, No Secrets: Findings from the analysis of focal codes of practice. The analysis indicates that by and large local councils have met the requirements required by No Secrets and that considerable progress has been made towards improving co-ordination between agencies when dealing with adult abuse cases. The analysis can be accessed on the Department's website.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Benefit Claims (Medical Assessment)

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the (a) quality of medical advice given in the assessment of benefit claims and (b) training of medical staff used to assess claimants.

Maria Eagle: Medical Services are meeting the medical quality standards specified in the contract.
	The Department receives monthly reports of Medical Services' medical quality audit outcomes, and of the action being taken where a doctor's quality standards have fallen below those expected. The Department's doctors hold regular joint meetings with Medical Services to validate medical quality audit standards.
	All doctors working for or on behalf of Medical Services have individual personal training plans, based on training needs analysis. Benefit-specific training and continuing professional education training modules are discussed and agreed with the Department's doctors. Medical Services keep detailed records of training undergone by individual doctors, and report progress against training plans to the Department on a regular basis. The effectiveness of training is evaluated in a number of ways. Refusal by a doctor to undertake prescribed training results in revocation of approval to carry out assessments.

Employers' Liability Insurance

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will set a date for the publication of his Department's follow-up report into employers' liability compulsory insurance.

Des Browne: The Department will publish the second stage report of the review of employers' liability compulsory insurance shortly.

Incapacity Benefit

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what progress he has made in setting up the incapacity benefit pilot programmes.

Maria Eagle: The incapacity benefit pilots will give new claimants: early support from skilled personal advisers in a series of monthly work focus interviews; direct access to a 'Choices Package' offering a comprehensive range of existing and new specialist programmes, including joint programmes with the NHS for improving a person's ability to return to work, as well as clear financial incentives to make work pay.
	The pilots are currently running in three districts: Renfrewshire, Inverclyde, Argyll and Bute; Derbyshire; and Bridgend and Rhonnda Cynon Taff. Early indications from these pilots have been encouraging and the feedback from customers has been very positive.
	The new programmes that will be run jointly by the Department and NHS Primary Care trusts (local health boards, in Wales) are on track to start in January 2004.
	A further four Districts, East Lanes, Somerset, Essex and Gateshead and South Tyneside are on target to begin pilots on 5 April 2004.